The Learning Equation for Membership Organisations: How Investment + Strategy = Self-Funded Growth

Membership organisations across the UK are facing a new reality: Traditional revenue streams are no longer enough. Now, learning needs to be seen as no longer just a member benefit—but as a strategic lever for engagement, revenue and industry impact.

In this post, we’ll unpack the key insights from our webinar The Learning Equation: When Investment + Strategy = Self-Funded Growth, facilitated in partnership with The MemberWise Network.

Host Sasha El-Halwani, senior revenue marketing manager, D2L EMEA, and was joined by two panelists:

• George Ayley, corporate sales leader, D2L, EMEA
• Teresa Beazley, commercial and training manager, The Lighting Industry Association (The LIA)

Dig into highlights from the session below to explore how associations can turn learning into a growth engine.

Why learning matters now

Economic uncertainty and evolving expectations are reshaping the membership landscape. According to research shared in the webinar, engaging members remains the top priority for UK and Ireland-based organisations. As Sasha pointed out, these priorities aren’t a surprise considering member growth and retention are marked as two of the greatest measures of success. The biggest surprise is the lack of investment in personalised learning.

“We found that only 13% of member engagement strategies are being classed as highly personalised,” said Sasha. “For us, that is a red flag because in order to achieve that engagement of members and therefore the retention, it’s that personalisation that is really what the members are saying that they need today.”

Personalisation is no longer optional. Members expect tailored experiences and delivering them requires more than manual processes and outdated technology. Operational efficiency and intelligent automation are critical to doing more with less—a reality for many membership bodies with small teams and constrained resources.

The learning equation explained

The webinar introduced a simple but powerful formula:

Investment + Strategy = Growth

Let’s break it down.

1. Investment: Beyond upfront cost

When evaluating learning platforms, price often dominates the conversation—which for registered charities or not-for-profits with more constrained resources can make sense. But it’s also important to consider why price points are higher, and the holistic solution that is included with a larger investment upfront.

“What we want to get across is that it’s really important when going through this decision-making evaluation that you don’t just consider this tip of the iceberg,” said Sasha, implying that there’s more beneath the surface that justifies the cost.

For example, some options at a lower price point might have hidden costs, like manual workarounds, staff time related to onboarding, implementing and moulding new technology into your desired product and integrating that technology into the other systems you already have. These costs—both monetary and time—can add up after your initial investment.

“If that isn’t a cohesive process, the frustration from your members and therefore the burden of you to support them can be a massive drain on resources going forward,” said Sasha.

Over the last four years in his role, George has worked with dozens of professional associations looking into the learning market.

“The successful organisations that I’ve partnered with, they’ve always looked at the slightly larger picture over the future, mapping out what are their immediate needs, but then also what are their future needs, goals and challenges that they’re potentially facing as an organisation and what do they need in order to get there,” he said.

“Often price on paper does not truly represent the true cost of ownership, the cost of resource, the cost of change, the cost of innovation and development over time,” George added.

2. Strategy: Align learning with organisational goals

For some associations looking for a learning solution, the focus becomes on what they can get instead of what they really need. That’s why it’s crucial to understand your organisational goals before going to market.

Whether your priority is member engagement, operational efficiency, or new revenue streams, you’ll need clarity on your organisation’s larger goals so you can choose a system that supports them.

As George explained, prioritising your association’s needs and remaining agile will be important in choosing a partner, as what looks good on paper might not always turn out to be the best fit. He suggested starting with mapping out the core challenges your association and industry are facing. From there, determine which need to be solved immediately, and which are longer term strategic objectives that will have a big impact on the industry.

As for The LIA, Teresa shared a similar sentiment, describing herself as a “picky customer” when evaluating possible vendors to ensure the best one is chosen.

“It is my role and it’s the association’s role to have those difficult conversations and really test the boundaries in terms of where these systems could go,” she said. “No matter how you package this, it is a capital investment for our association. I need to be confident to provide feedback to our council and our board members that this was a really good choice.”

3. Growth: Demonstrating ROI

By prioritising a learning strategy over simply adopting a platform, organisations can begin to implement sustained growth. This approach not only delivers the professional development members expect, but also integrates personalised, engaging experiences that boost retention.

Stronger member loyalty leads to financial stability, enabling reinvestment in strategic initiatives and industry advancement. As your organisation grows, it can expand its learning offerings across regions, reaching new audiences and amplifying its impact—creating a cycle of continuous growth and increased member value.

“Through education and a learning strategy, you’re up skilling that individual member who then has career opportunities that they might not have had before,” explained Sasha. “You’re also increasing the knowledge base and the expertise of the organisation that they work for. The fact that that organisation is now upskilled through their employees makes their contribution to the wider industry greater.”

The LIA is living proof. Teresa acknowledged a ramp up in globalisation in the lighting industry over recent years, but also how they weren’t able to meet the demand with traditional learning because it couldn’t be scaled.

“What we’ve seen in just the last six months alone, we’re delivering training now completely flexibly across the Americas,” she said, including other regions like Australia and the Middle East. “These are all areas that we have never, ever delved into because we haven’t had the capacity to do that. Having a very robust system that supports us to be able to meet members and member needs across a very diverse industry, across time zones, across continents. That is part of the strategy moving forward.”

Key takeaways for membership leaders

If you’re considering investing in a learning platform, here are some key questions to keep in mind when evaluating vendors:

• Are we enabling organisational goals—not just ticking a box?
• What is the true three-to-five-year cost—not just the upfront price?
• Does this solution meet modern member expectations?
• Do we want a product or a partnership?
• What happens when we outgrow the current features?
• How often are features updated?

This has to be an output driven decision, not an input driven decision—that’s key. You have to be prepared to challenge your own expectations.

The bigger picture

Learning isn’t just about CPD or qualifications. It’s your most powerful lever for engagement, revenue and industry impact. Done right, it creates a virtuous cycle of increased member value. higher retention, financial stability, organisational growth and reinvestment in learning.

As Sasha suggests, start with ROI, understand what you need to achieve, and then build the strategy and secure investment.

The Learning Equation: When Investment + Strategy = Self-Funded Growth 

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